Nadal’s lone hiccup came to start the second set, when he fell behind 0-2, but he recovered the break in the third game. He broke Gimeno-Traver again in the 11th game before serving out the victory. The Spaniard improved to a 10-0 record on Brazilian soil, including his triumphs in 2005 at Costa do Sauipe and last year in Sao Paulo.

"I'm happy to be back in competition," said Nadal. "I had to face a player that's been playing for several weeks on clay courts. I have to improve some details, but I played better than I practised and that's positive.

"Latin America is very special for me, I feel like home. The people are great to me and it's a pleasure to be back in Brazil. I hope I can come more often."

Dolgopolov lost just six of his first service points and hit nine aces for his first victory in three clay-court meetings against Almagro. The match lasted one hour and 35 minutes. Almagro has lifted a record-equalling (w/Ferrer) six trophies on the Latin American Golden Swing.

Second seed David Ferrer, who two days earlier won his sixth Latin American swing title in Buenos Aires, breezed into the second round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

Third-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini, the Buenos Aires runner-up and Vina del Mar champion, recovered from a second set bagel for a 7-6(5), 0-6, 6-1 win over qualifier Aljaz Bedene.

Joao Sousa kept his nerve to save four match points against sixth seed Marcel Granollers, from 0/40, 4-5 in third set, in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over two-and-a-half hours.